1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer with a cutting function, and a method for cutting and printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various types of printers such as an inkjet printer are configured to perform high-resolution printing in order to provide high-quality printing. Also, a printer having a cutting function in addition to a printing function has been proposed.
A printer having a cutting function is provided with an ink head and a cutting head. The ink head achieves an image creation function of creating an image on a medium by performing printing on the medium on the basis of image data. The cutting head achieves a cutting function of cutting the medium on the basis of cutting data.
A position at which a medium is cut out in a printer with a cutting function is determined, for example, in the manner described below.
First, an ink head prints a crop mark image at a prescribed position of a medium, for example, a position near the four corners of a printed image after performing printing on the medium on the basis of image data, and thereafter, the cutting head performs positioning for cutting on the basis of cutting data with reference to the crop mark image.
In a printer with a cutting function, there has been a problem that if a medium is cut before the ink ejected on the medium is dried, the ink rubbed by a cutting head bleeds on a printed image.
Therefore, cutting is performed after ink is sufficiently dried in order to solve such a problem. However, such a process needs time to sufficiently dry the ink before cutting, and thus has generated another problem that working hours are increased.
Further, since a medium is exposed to heat while the ink is dried, in a case where a medium susceptible to heat is used, the medium is easily twisted by heat when extending a period for drying. Thus, there has been a new problem that the above process, when a medium susceptible to heat is used, may shift the position of a printed crop mark image, making it difficult to perform high-accuracy alignment for cutting.